Sunday, February 15, 2015

backyard bird count...

I always look forward to the backyard bird count in February.  It seems like the birds like to stand up and be counted.  My count included:
1 brown creeper
1 blue jay
10 house finches
7 chickadees
6 pine siskins
4 red breasted nut hatches
1 female downy wood pecker
1 male hairy woodpecker
3 mice
4 squirrels
1 chipmunk
4 deer
 Some handsome house finches.
 One chubby mouse.

All of that bird watching made me hungry.  To me bread is better than any dessert.  This is one of my favorite recipes.  It is a very hearty, flavorful, dark bread.

Steakhouse Bread
1/2 c. bread flour
1 envelope yeast
1/2 c. water
Stir and let set until mixture appears to have a spongy texture.
2 T. cocoa
1 1/2 c. bread flour
1 c. rye flour
1 1/2 c. wheat flour
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
Add to the yeast mixture. Then add...
1/4 c. almond oil (can use vegetable oil)
1 c. black coffee
Knead 12 minutes and let rise 1 hour.  Shape into a loaf, put in buttered bread pan, and let rise 20 more minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.  

Enjoy with a glass of wine, while counting the birds.  Hope everyone else had a good weekend.  Did you participate in the bird count?


6 comments:

  1. I got 8 species and 108 birds at my feeder. It was a frantic count. I always enjoy looking over other counts and seeing what others discovered. If it had been 2 days before I got to see 30 Trumpeter Swans with thousands of geese and ducks at the lake.

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  2. I love that your snow is gone... We're still neck-deep in snow in the U.P.

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  3. Oh you have quite the collection of things to watch out your window, you are very lucky. The bread sounds delicious. Hug B

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  4. To cold here for mice to be out and about chipmunks to lol we have been in a deep freeze of -35C to -40C BRR ! 5 squirrels for birds here well 100 house sparrows or more , 20 White crowned and yellow crowned sparrows , 10 tree sparrows ,12 bluejays , 5 male Cardinals and 3 females , 30 junco , 2 Red bellied woodpeckers 3 male Downy woodpeckers, and 2 females . 20 Goldfinch for now more will come later , 10 Morning doves , and 15 Crows . Come the spring and summer we have about 35 or more different breeds in our yard at one time lol ! I bird watch every day as I am nuts for birds lol and have 6 seed hanging feeders , 2 flat feeders , and 3 suet's I have been a crazy birder for years lol ! I love living in a valley .That bread looks yummy . Thanks for sharing wonderful photos ! Have a good week !

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  5. We have downy woodpeckers, pileated woodpecker, sap suckers and now a spotted Flicker which is also a wood pecker. The flicker is new to us. The woodpeckers will sit and peck on a tree or our metal chimney cap to call a mate or when they want us to bring out the suet feeders!

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  6. oohhhh you are doing really well with your birds!! i see most of them at my feeders in the yard!! the bread looks and sounds yummy!!!!

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